Soma - Why won't doctors prescribe it anymore?

Good Morning Tehandyz!

I've taken Soma off and on for years with my back from an injury 12 years ago. I lived in Texas then and when I moved to Illinois 7 years ago the doctor here asked me if anything helped in the past and I told her that during flare ups all I ever took was Vicodin and Soma so that is what she prescibed me. About a year ago when my back became much much worse (I recently had a triple laminectomy) she had to change my pain medicine because vicodin no longer touched my pain and she told me Zanaflex was a much better muscle relaxer than Soma and she wanted me to try it. I did and I do think it works fairly well.

She continues to prescibe both so I can choose which one I take but told me never to take them both together! Now that my surgery has failed and I'm left in worse pain that before surgery I have been taking the Zanaflex more often than I take the Soma.

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I've never heard of any problems with doctor prescibing it but my opinion is that your doctor may either feel a newer medicine would work better (Soma has been out for at least 12 years because that is when I first took it) or depending on your relationship with your doctor may not have gave it to you because you "asked" for it. Doctors in my area DONT like to be asked for anything specific because it makes them feel you are seeking a certain drug most likely for abuse, at least that is what the nurse told me at my PM doctors office. Good luck to you and I hope you get some relief. I really had no idea that Soma helped with the pain because I thought it was just a muscle relaxant so I am going to do some research on it now and maybe start taking it instead and see if it helps my pain.

Oh and I just seen that the doctors told you there is a high risk of dependency and addiction with Soma? I would have NEVER guessed that especially since I've taken it off and on for several years and never felt like I "oh I want to take a Soma". I wish you the best and hope you find something if not Soma to help with your pain!

I have come up against this bias a time or two myself. I had been on Soma for years from my family Dr then I had a couple of pain Drs who hated Soma. It is oxymoronic to think it is a worse risk than oxycodone or hydrocodone! I had one Dr who flat out said he WILL NOT prescribe Soma because the addictive properties outweigh the muscle relaxant/pain relieving properties. It breaks down in the body into a drug called meprobamate which was taken off the market years ago because it was too much of an addiction risk so I guess this is the basis for their refusal. Luckily, in my case, I was changed to a different Dr at the pain center who agreed it was oxymoronic and since I handle myself with OxyContin and oxycodone with no problems, she allowed me to have the Soma back. I had been on Zanaflex. Some days I think the Zanaflex was better ands some I think the Soma is.

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I never could take the Zanaflex during the day because it made me too sleepy but it did help me sleep wonderfully at night. I can take the Soma during the day without so much drowsiness but I dont sleep at night nearly so well. Overall though I think the Soma relaxes my muscles better but Zanaflex allowed me to sleep better.

Hi:
I'm a Soma user also--the ONLY drug that has ever touched my chronic neck and shoulder pain! I am in FL and it was a Sports Med doc down here who first prescribed it for me in '05. Later, when I got a scan from another doc, he REFUSED to write it for me--- but, like some of the others said, he was more than willing to prescribe more heavy duty drugs! Needless to say, I left and never went back!
I have been on the same dose ever since the beginning, and have never needed to increase it. To me, Soma is a miracle worker--it LETS me sleep, and still wake up feeling normal, with no drugged out affect. Other docs have tried to put me on sleep meds and they only work for a week or two, then you have to increase the dose--then I would wake up in a fog!
I have no problem refilling it in CA, when we go out there to visit relatives.

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I keep hearing that it is going to be taken off the market, but, so far, I have had no problem getting it refilled at Walgreens here in FL.
Good Luck to you--I hope you can get it, if it works for you and doesn't cause you any problems...
Mary, madhatter

Hi T - I see that you've gotten the answers that I got when I posted a very similar question several months ago. They are right. Because Soma metabolizes into this other drug they are now saying that it is highly addictive and don't want to prescribe it. My pain mgmt clinic took all their patients off Soma several months ago and I went through months of agony while they tried me on about 5 other muscle relaxers. I have been on Soma for years and it works well for me. I have heard Zanaflex works well also but I couldn't take it because it caused my heart to race and my bp to shoot up. The only other one that even worked at all was Flexiril and it made me feel like crap and I got very depressed. The only thing I can tell you is that it seems like it is mostly the pain mgmt clinics that are doing this. My primary doc said he didn't have a problem at all prescribing it for me. He knows me very well though and has been my primary doc for about 15 yrs.

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I, like other friends that responded don't understand the double-standard with this drug. The pain meds I'm on are also highly addictive... so what gives. Anyway, I hope you get the help you need. Believe me I feel your pain!! My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Your friend,
Terri

I am in la and im only 24. But I've been in 3 major accidents. April 18 2011 i got in a wreck and my car flipped 5 times and i was thrown out the back windshield. My 4 year old was thrown out and was killed. I already had severe back trouble prior to this last wreck. But after this my neck has been in scrutinizing pain. Since i was 18 there has never been a day in my life that i was up without being in pain. My neck n back hurts so bad every single day. Some days worst than others. I have nerve damage throughout my whole back, i have bulging disk, dislocated disk, i have a severe case of scoliosis. I have not been able to be thoroughly checked and haven't had mri's since the wreck bc i was pregnant. And being that my oldest child died i haven't felt like getting out. I have taken somas many times i have also taken zanaflex, flexeril, oxycodone, xxanax, hydocodone, ocycotin, opana, codeine, tramadol, N im sure a few more just cant remember.

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I found that zanaflex works better than soma. Xxanax helped me more than anything bc it didn't make me sleepy but it calmed me and relaxed my nerves n bc i was relaxed it also helped my muscles. I honest to god needed that med. Oxycodone helped my pain better than the others. i had a dr say the same bout soma is a way higher risk to get addicted. But i have NEVER been addicted to soma. I can see myself getting addicted to the narcotics 1000 times easier than the relaxants(soma). My problem is being that im only 24 and won't be 25 until October it's hard to get prescribed these things. I never have had any problem with drug/alcohol abuse so i dont get why do i have trouble getting prescribed anythin